September 7, 2012 1:34am EDTSeptember 6, 2012 8:01pm EDTChris Perez isn't shy about letting his employer know what's on his mind. He uses an interview to criticize the Indians for perceived failure to improve the franchise.

Perez was asked about why the Indians have struggled to contend while the Detroit Tigers have been in the hunt in the American League Central for the past few years.

"Different owners," Perez said in the interview. "It comes down to that. (The Tigers) are spending money. (Tigers owner Mike Ilitch) wants to win. Even when the economy (in Detroit) is down, he spent money. He's got a team to show for it. You get what you pay for in baseball."

Perez also took issue with the front office and some of the moves they have failed to be made, including the team's failure to sign outfielder Josh Willingham last offseason. Willingham now plays for the Minnesota Twins.

"It's not just ownership," Perez told FoxSports.com. "They don't make trades. It's the GMs. It goes hand in hand. ... Josh Willingham would look great in this lineup. They didn't want to (pony) up for that last year. That's the decision they made, and this is the bed we're laying in."

The Indians suffered through a 5-24 month of August.

"While we work to understand various perspectives, we strongly disagree with Chris' comments," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti told MLB.com. "Nonetheless, we are not satisfied with our recent results and our entire organization remains committed to fielding winning teams and that is the standard by which we will continue to operate."

Perez has been outspoken several times this season. In April, he was fined by Major League Baseball for a message he posted to Twitter. He also spoke out about the club's low attendance and criticized the Cleveland Browns fan base. In August, he got into a confrontation with an Oakland A's fan.